For folks around my age (Late 30s)

[yhmpilot]

Hey everyone,

I’m currently holding an FO position with Porter on the Embraer with a decent seniority (64%) with a potential left seat upgrade in a year. Lately, I’ve been considering a career move to Air Canada, and I’m curious to hear from others who may have made a similar switch or are thinking about it.

Is it too late to make a move like this? Have any of you transitioned between airlines at this stage in your career? I’m especially interested in the work environment, and mainly the quality of life being married with kids on the way.

I’d really appreciate any insight or advice. Your input would mean a lot.

Thanks in advance!

[BigQ]

AC and WJ cause AIDS. The smaller the 705, the better your quality of life will be.

If the music for the musical chair stops in the coming 5 years, you'll be better off at PD than AC or WJ. If it doesn't, will you?

[flieslikeachicken]

AC and WJ cause AIDS. The smaller the 705, the better your quality of life will be.

If the music for the musical chair stops in the coming 5 years, you'll be better off at PD than AC or WJ. If it doesn't, will you?

AIDS: Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome

[Hangry]

Hey everyone,

I’m currently holding an FO position with Porter on the Embraer with a decent seniority (64%) with a potential left seat upgrade in a year. Lately, I’ve been considering a career move to Air Canada, and I’m curious to hear from others who may have made a similar switch or are thinking about it.

Is it too late to make a move like this? Have any of you transitioned between airlines at this stage in your career? I’m especially interested in the work environment, and mainly the quality of life being married with kids on the way.

I’d really appreciate any insight or advice. Your input would mean a lot.

Thanks in advance!

Honestly if you’re a Canadian aviator and you’re unsure if a career at AC is better than Porter. You should stay at Porter.

Safe flights.

[safetyfirst123]

AC and WJ cause AIDS. The smaller the 705, the better your quality of life will be.

If the music for the musical chair stops in the coming 5 years, you'll be better off at PD than AC or WJ. If it doesn't, will you?

Terrible advice. You're better off at Porter if the music stops in the coming 5 years??? Nobody knows where any airline will be in the next 5, 10, 15 years, but we can all be as sure as we can that AC will be around. Porter, Transat, Westjet, Flair etc are all candidates for bankruptcy and/or mergers. Seniority is what matters most, but any airline other than AC will be far more volatile with higher chances of layoffs. Now is the time to go, not in your mid 40's or 50's when it will really hurt.

[yhmpilot]

Thanks all!

[Pacqing]

Isn't that what was thought about CP Air? Being the best to survive.

[alkaseltzer]

AC and WJ cause AIDS. The smaller the 705, the better your quality of life will be.

If the music for the musical chair stops in the coming 5 years, you'll be better off at PD than AC or WJ. If it doesn't, will you?

Terrible advice. You're better off at Porter if the music stops in the coming 5 years??? Nobody knows where any airline will be in the next 5, 10, 15 years, but we can all be as sure as we can that AC will be around. Porter, Transat, Westjet, Flair etc are all candidates for bankruptcy and/or mergers. Seniority is what matters most, but any airline other than AC will be far more volatile with higher chances of layoffs. Now is the time to go, not in your mid 40's or 50's when it will really hurt.

Porter and Calvin rovinescu are excellent business case studies and only one of them is still around.

[safetyfirst123]

AC and WJ cause AIDS. The smaller the 705, the better your quality of life will be.

If the music for the musical chair stops in the coming 5 years, you'll be better off at PD than AC or WJ. If it doesn't, will you?

Terrible advice. You're better off at Porter if the music stops in the coming 5 years??? Nobody knows where any airline will be in the next 5, 10, 15 years, but we can all be as sure as we can that AC will be around. Porter, Transat, Westjet, Flair etc are all candidates for bankruptcy and/or mergers. Seniority is what matters most, but any airline other than AC will be far more volatile with higher chances of layoffs. Now is the time to go, not in your mid 40's or 50's when it will really hurt.

Porter and Calvin rovinescu are excellent business case studies and only one of them is still around.

uh, okay?

[co-joe]

I'm of the opposite opinion to those above. If ac is want you want out of life, then do it now. Today. Just remember that for the next couple years at ac, your pay and for the most part, your lifestyle will suck. No joke, 16-18 days a month (up to 22 with recurrent), no control of your days off, you get whatever equipment they tell you. After that you'll be able to decide if you want money, or you want lifestyle. Chose one. You won't get both for another number of years. After that you'll have both. If you live in yyz maybe sooner, anywhere else, maybe later.

[flyinhigh]

I agree with Co-Joe. I’ve only applied to AC once in my career and politely declined when called. Is AC stable, sure but in 5,10,15 years we don’t know where any company will be.

Go with what makes you happy, and works for the family. Yes at Porter our schedules are tough, but should get better after CBA 1. PD has amazing potential with everything occurring and since you are here have great seniority, which you will not at AC.

Look at the #’s between both, consider lifestyle, days worked, where you live (cannot commute for 6 months at AC) and make your decision based on you. I cannot tell you what is best for you, just to think of it as a whole.

Good luck

[yhz41]

Look at the #’s between both, consider lifestyle, days worked, where you live (cannot commute for 6 months at AC) and make your decision based on you.

AC has no restriction on commuting.

[Dias]

I’ve only applied to AC once in my career and politely declined when called. Is AC stable, sure but in 5,10,15 years we don’t know where any company will be.

This is poor decision making.

[flyinhigh]

I’ve only applied to AC once in my career and politely declined when called. Is AC stable, sure but in 5,10,15 years we don’t know where any company will be.

This is poor decision making.

Why, because finically at my age it makes no sense or the fact I don't want a crappy schedule for my family for the next X number of years.

Again, to each their own. Each individual has to look at their OWN situation, look at everything and decide what is best. The fact that over the past two years i've made significantly more money than I would have had I accepted, worked no reserve and have a descent schedule working 13-14 days a month, sounds like I made a great decision for my family.

[thepoors]

I can't speak for the WB but everyone on NB at AC is miserable. I was warned of this before I made the jump and I did it anyway. The flying sucks and like others have said, as a junior, it's pick between pay or lifestyle, you can't have both. The company also continues to treat the pilot group like we are the enemy and does everything possible to make our lives worse.

But in terms of long term stability and pension AC can't be beat. Is it worth the suffering for 10+ years before you can have some balance of financial freedom and a good schedule? I'm not sure yet. Do I regret coming here? Some days. But do I have a better option? Probably not.

This is the sad state of Canadian aviation.

[BigQ]

As I obscurely alluded to in my first response to OP

At the end of the day, your family comes first before the company. The corporations will drop you the moment you cease becoming useful to them. Going from somewhere where you are a name, to somewhere where you are a number, is only a good idea if you have already capitulated on the home front. Considering you sound newly married with kids on the way, at your seniority, you will actually see your kids in 5 years if you stay at Porter vs at AC or WS.

Remember folks, by the time your kids are 9 years old, you already spent half the total time you will have with them. Don't miss the first few years